Yeast starter seems to have finished the fermentation way quicker than anticipated...

[Washington_Brewologist]

So I'm new to using yeast starters and I pitched my first one into an Irish Red that I brewed on Monday 7/2. I was pleasantly surprised to see how vigorous the fermentation was @ 7 hours into it and by 20 there was about a 4-inch krausen. Now on day 4, there is barely any activity coming from the airlock (once every 2 1/2 or so minutes) and the krausen has dropped.

Is normal for yeast starters to finish doing there thing this quickly? I'm going to keep it in 14 days regardless, it just seems a bit quick for it to be all done.

The trippy part is the IPA I on brewed on 6/25 (No starter) is still bubbling @ about once every 90 seconds right next to it.

Yeast used: Wyeast 1056

 

[Yooper]

Short answer- yes. Fermentation goes fairly quickly when done right. Most of the time in my ales, active fermentation is over in less than 5 days.

Long answer- temperature plays a role (warmer fermentations go faster, but it’s not always a good thing), and so does the amount of fermentables and the amount of yeast pitched.

 

[Comfort_Zone]

That's perfectly normal, last time I did a starter with Cali ale I had a blowoff within 4 hours.

 

[Gameface]

Are you also controlling fermentation temps? Good idea to do so, regardless.

My fermentations generally slow down a lot after 3 days. I usually control fermentation temps for the yeast I use the most at around 63f, which is on the cool side. I don't think you have anything to worry about.